Hill Street Blues is a serial police drama that was first aired on NBC and ran for 146 episodes from 1981-1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a police precinct in an unnamed American city (which is almost certainly Chicago), the show received high critical acclaim and its innovations proved highly influential on serious dramatic television series produced in North America. Its debut season was honored with eight Emmy awards, a debut season record surpassed only by The West Wing, and the show received a total of 98 Emmy Award nominations during its run.

The series was unique at the time for being the first to bring together several ideas in TV drama:

The conflict between work life and home life is explored, as well as the conflict between doing what is right and doing what works.

Many camera techniques, such as tight closeups, use of offscreen dialogue, rapid cuts between stories, and use of handheld cameras rather than floor cameras, give the series a "documentary" feel.

Almost every episode starts with "roll call", and many episodes are written to take place over the course of a single day (a technique later used by such shows as L.A. Law and ER).

Currently (2016) the complete series is available on DVD (region 1).

This series contains examples of:

The Alcoholic: Detective LaRue and Captain Furillo are both in recovery. Furillo's struggles and subsequent lapse are the focus of one arc.

Always Murder: Conspicuously averted, at least by modern standards. Many episodes don't have a single homicide, and when they occur they are often unintentional or fights that get out of hand. Premeditated murder is quite rare, and when it does happen it usually kicks off a multi-episode story arc. Doubly so if a police officer gets killed.

Blackmail: Captain Furillo occasionally gains enough leverage to blackmail the Chief of Police into major concessions. Fittingly for his character, Furillo never tries to personally gain from these instances and only seeks to make sure his officers and his precinct are properly looked after.

Buddy Cop Show: Though not a Buddy Cop Show in the traditional sense, the series features several more or less permanent pairings: Hill & Renko, Bates & Coffey, La Rue & Washington, Flaherty & Russo.

Buffet Buffoonery: A restaurant owner calls the officers when a man sits down right in front of the salad bar, eats directly from it, and and refuses to leave until he has 'eaten all he can' (the restaurant did have an "eat all you can" offer).

Bungled Suicide: Howard Hunter, though it is more of a sabotaged suicide; La Rue apparently figures out what he is planning and replaces his service revolver's ammunition with blanks.

Lt. Hunter. His rather academic and philosophical way of approaching life, coupled with a survivalist right-wing ideology, makes him seem a bit awkward and disconnected from reality at times.

Judge Wachtel, who appears in the courtroom wearing a dress, on the advice of his psychiatrist. He's otherwise presented as a Wholesome Crossdresser, but crossdressing in the courtroom caused a few raised eyebrows.

Captain Furillo is very conscientious about following all regulations and ethical guidelines to the letter, and expects his subordinates to do the same. This is despite, or perhaps because of, the precinct being in a high-crime area where the police is almost expected to be corrupt, and too many examples of dirty officers and corrupt management in the police force, including occasional corruption from Furillo's own superior, Chief Fletcher Daniels.

Deconstructed in the second episode of season 3, where Furillo sits on a discipline board tasked with judging another precinct captain (and personal friend of Furillo's) for neglecting to supervise his subordinates and put a stop to alleged corruption in his precinct. Furillo argues passionately for holding the captain responsible, since without responsibilty the authority of all captains would be eroded. After being found guilty, the captain commits suicide. Furillo is shaken by the consequences of his moral conviction.

Subverted at the beginning of the series: Hill and Renko were originally killed off in the pilot episode, but were brought back soon afterwards, with the explanation that they were wounded and hospitalized.

Dirty Harriet: In the season 5 episode "Davenport in a Storm", a number of female officers and detectives pose as streetwalkers to catch a serial killer targeting prostitutes. This is not played for fanservice (it's winter and even the street walkers wear covering clothes) but it is emphasized that the operation is dangerous; in fact, det. Patsy Mayo asks to ride as backup rather than pose as a prostitute because of the risk.

Don't Tell Mama: When the minor crook that Belker is constantly booking dies in an unrelated gunfight, he finally tells Belker his real name so Belker can at least let his mother know about his death. When Belker talks to her, he tells her about what a fine citizen her son had been.

Donut Mess with a Cop: In one episode, poor Renko is singled out by an investigative reporter who lets her TV time follow him around and film every coffe-and-donut break he takes. Due to the personal stress he's going thorugh at the time, they get quite a lot of footage.

Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto Us: Used almost verbatim by Sgt. Jablonski every time he dismisses the day watch after roll call: "Let's do it to them before they do it to us." After being challenged by detective Mayo about what he really means, he clarifies that he wants officers to be alert and proactive, not to cross the line and deal out vigilante justice.

Sgt. Jablonski: When I say that, I mean 'do your job before the bad guys do theirs.'

Fan Disservice: The elderly, slightly crazy homeless man called "Buck Naked" likes to get naked in public, even inside a crowded holding cell. He is only shown from behind or from the waist up, but from the looks of the people getting the full picture it is not a pretty sight.

The numerous bedroom scenes with Frank and Joyce is a mild case, where Joyce is shown in (covering) nightwear and Frank is sometimes shirtless but wearing pajama pants.

As a somewhat downplayed background phenomenon, there is a constant stream of scantily-clad streetwalkers passing through the station, waiting to be processed, or hanging around on streetcorners. The camera sometimes focuses on them for a few moments, and then moves on.

Father to His Men: Furillo will do everything he can to look out for the officers of his precinct, including blackmailing the Chief of Police to make sure a psychologically disabled officer can retire with a full pension plus disability benefits.

Belker works undercover wearing a chicken suit in two episodes. He even makes an arrest wearing it.

In one episode, the entire precinct dresses up as Santa Claus and his elves and reindeer to deliver Christmas presents to the children's hospital, before abruptly being called away to a robbery in progress. Renko laments "I'm gonna get killed in a moose suit!"

Heat Wave: Episodes 2-3 of season 3, and several other episodes of other seasons, deal with the problems caused by high summer temperatures, which cause domestic violence to flare and stress the tempers of criminals, ordinary citizens as well as the police officers (neither the police cars nor the station house are air conditioned).

Heroic Wannabe: Captain Freedom! (POW! ZAP!) When he walks down the street, buildings shake and bad guys wet their pants. Ten tons of nitro in one fist, and an atomic bomb in the other!

Heterosexual Life-Partners: Hill and Renko. Not only are they unseparable at work, they keep bickering like an old married couple.

Lieutenant Hunter and a friend are buried in a building collapse and are not found until several days later, the friend having died in the mean time. An autopsy reveals that the friend's body has human bite marks, which leads to Captain Furillo asking Hunter if he ate his friend. Hunter frankly admits to it, saying that he and his friend had made a pact that if they were ever in a desperate enough situation and one of them died, the survivor should use the deceased for sustenance. Furillo orders Hunter to never say a word about it and presumably proceeds to make sure word of it never gets out because having to deal with the frenzy over one of his officers being a cannibal is the last thing he needs to deal with.

A one-shot character who would eat things for money had once eaten part of his finger and now won't do that.

Belker has a reputation for biting people and sometimes severing extremities in the process. He doesn't actually eat anything he bites off, however.

Inconveniently Vanishing Exonerating Evidence: One episode has a rookie police officer shoot an armed suspect in an alley. When his veteran partner asks where the suspect's gun is, the rookie can't locate it. Not wanting his young partner to get railroaded by Internal Affairs, the senior officer produces a second firearm, puts the suspect's fingerprints on it, then announces that he "found" the perp's weapon.

Instrumental Theme Tune: Composed by Mike Post. It was released as a single and hit #10 on the Billboard chart in 1981.

Internal Affairs: In one episode, an IA officer is sent to work undercover in the Hill Street station. The cops uncover her identity and are severely annoyed.

Kicked Upstairs: Moving people to a "liason office" with the Chief of Police seems to be a common practice for high-level police officers who have made some sort of screwup but can't be fired. When Capt. Furillo makes some public comments that the mayor doesn't like, the Chief moves Furillo to one. When Ray Calletano's precinct is almost to the point of police officers breaking out in a race riot, he is removed from command and is placed in a "Hispanic Liaison" position.

Lingerie Scene: The scenes from Joyce Davenport's and Frank Furillo's domestic life often show her in nightgowns or (not very revealing) lingerie.

The names of some of police precincts (Hill Street, South Ferry, Jefferson Heights) are taken from neighborhoods in Buffalo, and Steven Bochco modeled the Hill Street precinct on Pittsburgh's troubled Hill District.

Philadelphia City Hall is seen in several episodes.

The marked police cars' graphics resemble those of Chicago, and rumor at the time was that the Chicago PD did not allow the producers to use "CHICAGO POLICE" logos and graphics after the experience of The Blues Brothers.

In the beginning of Season 7, Episode 17, one of the police cars is driving past a sign indicating an approach to Interstate 90 and Interstate 94. Pittsburgh is in Allegheny County while Interstate 90 only runs in Erie County, approximately 150 miles apart, While Interstate 90 does run to Buffalo, Interstate 94 goes no further east than Michigan. The only major city where both Interstate 90 and Interstate 94 run is in Chicago.

After getting into difficulties because of his drinking, J.D. La Rue is ordered by Captain Furillo to join AA as a condition of keeping his job. He goes to his first AA meeting and sees recovering alcoholic Captain Furillo there.

Secret Relationship: Captain Frank Furillo and public defender Joyce Davenport. In the pilot episode she spends all day sparring with him. In one of the last scenes, she's seen in the bedroom, complaining to her paramour about how the police are Hill Street's "Nazi occupation force." Then comes The Reveal: her paramour is none other than Police Captain Furillo, the commander of Hill Street precinct! Over the course of the series, the relationship comes out into the open and they eventually marry.

At roll call, Sgt. Esterhaus sounds more like an academic orator than a police sergeant, never letting one simple word suffice when he can demonstrate his vocabulary by using four obscure, polysyllabic ones, preferably of Latin or French origin, instead.

Shell-Shocked Veteran: Being set less than a decade after The Vietnam War, the show has quite a number of one-off characters to whom the war has not been at all kind, and two regular cast members are veterans themselves.

Straw Feminist: In-universe, Fay Furillo is obviously familiar with the trope and takes care to avert it: when she tells her ex-husband that she has joined a feminist group, she emphasises that she is not going to burn her bra. Frank is visibly relieved.

Stuffed into a Trashcan: The show's first TV Guide advert featured Jack Davis style sketches of the cast sitting on the lid of a trash can with the hands and feet of criminals sticking out here and there.

Suicide by Cop: A Shell-Shocked Veteran holding hostages in a diner flat-out tells the hostage negotiator that's what he's trying to achieve. Despite everyone's b4est efforts, he gets his wish.

Suspiciously Similar Substitute: When Michael Conrad dies early in Season 4, his Sgt. Esterhaus is replaced with Robert Prosky's Sgt. Jablonski (who even uses a similar catchphrase to close out the briefing at the top of each episode).

SWAT Team: Unusually for a Police Procedural, Emergency Action Team (the term used in the show's police force and derogatorily called "Eater" by everyone else) commander Lt. Howard Hunter is a regular cast member, and some of the team achieve Recurring Extra status.

The '80s: but in a poor part of town that is very far from the glitzy world of Miami Vice. Also, in the first few seasons it's the very early Eighties, and much of The '70s remains.

The Last DJ: Captain Furillo ruins his shot at promotion to Divisional Commander by dropping a well-connected City Official in the ordure for keeping a fifteen year-old hooker as a mistress. (It was the early Eighties.)

Two Words: I Can't Count: When detective LaRue is infatuated with a flirty high-school student, his partner tells him why he should stay away from her:

When attractive gangster widow Gina Srignoli is being fitted with a Hidden Wire (in the season five episode "Passage to Libya"), detective Mayo explains that the microphone will be attached to her bra.

Gina: Well, we'd better get me a bra then.

Discussed at roll call one summer morning, when Sgt. Esterhaus mentions that the female officers' request to dispense with supportive undergarments (due to the heat wave) has been denied. This is met by boos and cat-calls from both female and male officers.

Wholesome Crossdresser: Jeffrey Tambor plays the cross-dressing lawyer, later judge, Wachtel, who was doing so on the advice of his psychiatrist "to resolve his feminine-identity issues". It works.

Wife-Basher Basher: Officer Lucy Bates tells her partner, when they get a call of domestic abuse, how much she hates and despises wife beaters. It turns out that it is the woman who is assaulting her husband.

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